burns bison - buzzing/rattling/vibrating noise from fret board

the bassist in my band has just got himself a burns bison, 2nd hand, the bass makes an awful rattling/buzzing noise behind the fretted note. it seems the string is vibrating onto the fret (the metal bit i mean).

he owns a vintage bass as well which sounds wonderful in comparison, hes been advised that this is a common thing with burns basses, but looking over the reviews and lists of users i just can't see that being the case. so - whats the best way to get the thing to stop buzzing. hes had the strings changed and the bass serviced and althoug there was an improvement the buzzing is still far too noticeable.

"I have a recent Bison reissue that buzzes slightly distractingly on the first couple of frets when played unplugged, but through my rig, there's no suggestion at all of any buzz. Odd."

Not odd, as the buzz is not in the speaking part of the string.

If the the nut is slotted low, as in close to fret height, and/or the neck is straight or even curved backwards, the non speaking section of the string lies against the frets behind the fretting hand. That causes the buzz, but as mentioned, this is not picked up by the pu's. For those who like their action super low and don't mind the buzz when playing unplugged, it's an acceptable compromise, but otherwise the neck needs either a slight relief and/or higher nut as someone suggested before.

"I have a recent Bison reissue that buzzes slightly distractingly on the first couple of frets when played unplugged, but through my rig, there's no suggestion at all of any buzz. Odd."

Not odd, as the buzz is not in the speaking part of the string.

If the the nut is slotted low, as in close to fret height, and/or the neck is straight or even curved backwards, the non speaking section of the string lies against the frets behind the fretting hand. That causes the buzz, but as mentioned, this is not picked up by the pu's. For those who like their action super low and don't mind the buzz when playing unplugged, it's an acceptable compromise, but otherwise the neck needs either a slight relief and/or higher nut as someone suggested before.

Click to expand...

Very true. I get the same buzz unplugged but I've figured out that when I play unplugged I really dig in so I can hear it which is causing the buzz. Whereas when plugged in I don't need to dig in to get the desired volume.

"Very true. I get the same buzz unplugged but I've figured out that when I play unplugged I really dig in so I can hear it which is causing the buzz. Whereas when plugged in I don't need to dig in to get the desired volume."

This is another buzz - the buzz that lives between the fretting finger and the bridge. We were discussing a buzz between the fretting finger and the nut. But you are right about what you are describing - and it causes discussions between inexperienced users and setup people.